Promised Pictures - Part 2

Going to Washington DC has been one of the highlights of this fall semester. We went to meet with federal agencies and non-profits to see what work opportunities there are in DC and what a day-in-the-life looks like for these different employees. Throw in a couple days of site-seeing, lots of walking, incessant laughing, Potbellys' sandwiches, and you pretty much have our trip--

This is hot, right? A Banana Republic sweater with basketball shorts - a last minute decision to kayak the Potomac at night with Karleen, Amber, and Erin is what led to this fashion ensemble. One of the best parts of our trip-- The pictures of the monuments from the water didn't turn out - churning water and rain aren't the best conditions for still photos, but it was awesome just the same.

The Library of Congress was my favorite building by far. Seeing Thomas Jefferson's books and the intricately laid mosaics was truly awe-inspiring.

Karleen and Thomas bonded. You don't want to know.

This is one of the posters outside the Holocaust Memorial Museum. I have wanted to visit this place since I was a teenager-- it's incredible. There aren't words to adequately describe what you see and what you feel, but you walk out changed - more appreciative, more scared, more... I hope to teach again so that when I teach Holocaust literature, I can now talk about seeing some of these artifacts and pictures in person....


Nicole, Karleen, and I in the National History Museum. These two fabulous girls are on my team set up by the MPA program. More on them later! ps. The architecture in this building and so many others was fantastic - this city is the most European city we have in the United States.

Who doesn't love Julia Child and her pegboard lovingly created by her husband. So fun to see her kitchen!

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home." Judy Garland is one of my favorite Hollywood icons.


We met in the press room where FEMA does its news conferences (yes, including that infamous one where there was actually no press). Nicole's pose behind the podium was my favorite.

Security clearance was a part of almost every agency we visited, but it was definitely the most strict at the FBI. This is the place I would most want to work if I decided to move to DC. [This is the whole group of students that attended - not in correct order - Ariel, Andrew, David, Zach, Isaiah, Tanya, Karleen, Andrea, Nicole, and myself]

We had more fun that you would think possible when we would get to our hotel at night. Here is Nicole "working" diligently on the many assignments we had to complete and send in. Karleen fell off the bed a few minutes after this shot was taken.

We watched SNL clips every night featuring my favorite character Gilly - you have to watch these. We quoted her everywhere we went and then would laugh way too hard for the somber work environments we were in...oops.

This shot was for my fellow Gilmore Girls watchers - it's the national headquarters of the D.A.R. D.A.R. Darling even though it's in the 40s, raining, and no, I did not have a coat.

Posing on the D.A.R. building patio - imagine a fancy ball gown, Grace Kelly style, with elbow length gloves. That's what I was picturing. Karleen was thinking Scarlett O'Hara style. We probably weren't supposed to be up there.

I loved seeing all the monuments in person. A Parisian couple took this shot.

I was more entranced by the National Galleries than I would have expected. We visited a few times since it was the only place open past five. This was obviously in the modern art section - each set TV images corresponded to the state they were placed in.

A few other highlights - love stories with Andrew, becoming Metro savvy, hailing taxis, passing the White House, Potbellys sandwiches (yes - it's worth two mentions!), talking all night in the Baltimore airport, seeing politics in action, and so many more.

Phew - that was long. You made it! Stay tuned for the next segment of fall pictures....